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POLITICAL PARTIES:
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Highlights of the Yisrael B'Aliya Platform
1. Israel as a Magnet
As the national home of all Jewish people, Israel must again become a magnet attracting Jews from free countries while continuing to provide refuge for Jews in distress.
2. Religion and State
The damaging conflict between our democratic and our Jewish values must be resolved without coercion by either side. Each is vital for our survival and the balance of these two forces is a prerequisite to their viability. Pragmatic solutions based on the flexibility inherent in Jewish tradition must be found which at the same time respect individual rights and democratic principles.
3. Strategic Security
The government of Israel must safeguard the security of its citizens.
- In the short-term, the autonomy for terror provided by the Palestinian Authority must be eradicated.
- In the long-term, to achieve stability and eventual peace between Israel and our Arab neighbors we must motivate economic cooperation and encourage their democratization. Any future peace process must link political and economic concessions to the development of the type of society that upholds human rights. We must urge transparency and increased openness in the PA, and only then enter into negotiations for a resolution of our differences of opinion, including borders and any remaining issues.
- Jerusalem is, and will remain, the undivided capital of Israel and the Jewish people.
- Natural growth of Israeli communities throughout Israel must be supported, in accordance with Israeli and international law.
- Israel's hasbara apparatus must be seen as an essential component of our security apparatus. A proficient, coordinated and credible information service must be directed towards winning international condemnation of Arab incitement and hate programs.
4. Economics
The citizens of Israel deserve a free economy, giving expression to each and every person's relative advantages. State-owned enterprises should be sold off and regressive taxes like VAT that afflict the weak in society should be lowered accordingly. The poverty line for social benefits should be raised while "economic development zones" expanded to include urban areas in distress. At the same time, the government has a responsibility to care for the needy, to offer special aliya and absorption benefits, and to close the social gaps in society. Immigrants must not be taxed on their passive incomes and pensions held abroad and earned before their arrival in Israel.
5. Electoral Reform
Government operating on the principles of direct representation, transparency and accountability will provide the highest possible standards of quality of life for citizenry. The Prime Minister and at least 50% of the Knesset members must be elected directly, and the threshold for a party's entrance to the Knesset must, at a minimum, be raised from 1.5% to 2.5%. Norms of behavior for public figures on par with other western countries must be recognized, encouraged and enforced.
6. Education
Universal access to high quality education is the only way to tap the greatest resources of our nation our creative ability to innovate. Greater investment is required in teachers and schools, and a national guideline for teaching Judaism and civics is needed, to insure our ability to compete in world markets as well as to raise an informed citizenry. A core curriculum of Jewish studies should be taught in all Jewish schools in Israel and the Diaspora.
7. Israel and the Diaspora
The State of Israel is the center of communal life for the Jewish people. This means that Israel should be intimately involved in the Diaspora's challenges to strengthen Jewish communities worldwide, while the Diaspora should be a true partner with Israeli Jewry in decisions affecting the Jewish identity of the State.
8. Sundays off
Introducing Sunday as a non-working day will immeasurably enhance the quality of life of Israel's citizens, as well as serve to resolve many of the points of strife between the observant and the secular sectors of Israeli society.
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ELECTIONS 2003 HOME PAGE
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